Shelly's Recipe

BLACK-BOTTOM PEACH-ALMOND TART

Category: Tarts

Crust:
6 tbsp unsalted butter, diced and chilled, plus extra for greasing pan
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup flour
6 tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp peach preserves
6 tbsp sliced almonds, divided
1 1/2 lbs ripe peaches, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

To make the crust: Butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Coarsely grind almonds in a food processor, add flour and sugar and continue processing until nuts are finely ground. Add 6 tbsp butter and pulse machine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour egg yolk into mixture and vanilla over flour mixture and pulse again until mixture forms large moist clumps. Remove dough from food processor. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan to form a crust. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 and place a rack in the center position. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove, but maintain the oven temperature. Quickly sprinkle the bottom of the crust with the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Wait about 5 minutes or until the chips look glossy. Spread the chocolate with an offset spatula until it covers the bottom of the crust. Cool the crust for 5 to 10 minutes.

To make the filling: Spread the preserves over the top of the chocolate. Coarsely chop 4 tbsp of the almonds and sprinkle over the bottom of the crust. Arrange peaches in an overlapping spiral pattern in shell, and sprinkle them with sugar, then with lemon zest. Dot with butter and sprinkle with remaining almonds. Bake until peaches are tender, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. (This tart is best eaten the day it is made.)